I have a 8 point roll bar I got from SW race cars. I am installing it in my 66 comet which is a unibody. I have sub frame connectors in the car. I have the main hoop with the cross bar. There are 2 bars that angle toward the center to strengthen the hoop in a side impact or roll over. I have been told that the 2 bars that angle towards the transmission tunnel need to go through the floor and and be welded to my subframe connectors. Is this so or can I weld them to the floor on 6 inch plates? Any experts out there? Thank you in advance. Jim
It wouldn't be a certified chassis. Only track tech guys will be looking at it, and I don't know that any of them would check to see what your bars are welded to. I'd be surprised if there was any rule addressing those bars, since most of us don't even have them!
The front four bars on my 6-point roll bar are welded to plates on the floor.
This is from the 2012 rulebook. General Regulations 4:10 - Roll Bar. The pictures do not include the inner bars and they are not mentioned.
All vehicles with OEM frame must have roll bar welded or bolted to frame; installation of frame connectors on unibody cars does not constitute a frame; therefore it is not necessary to have the roll bar attached to the frame. Unibody cars with stock floor and firewall (wheeltubs permitted) may attach roll bar with 6-inch x 6-inch x .125-inch steel plates on top and bottom of floor bolted together with at least four 3/8-inch bolts and nuts, or weld main hoop to rocker sill area with .125-inch reinforcing plates, with plates welded completely.
Tony is right. Those bars are not required, just there for added stiffness. Attaching those bars to the subframe connectors would be the best option for tying everything together, but it's not necessary if you don't want the hassle.
Thanks for the feedback. The guy that told me about needing to have them welded to the subframe connectors has 2 cars that both are cetified to 8.50 so maybe the rules are diffent. My car isn't even fast enough to need a bar (12.15) but since my kid may be driving it, I am putting an 8 point bar in. are there any local shops that have a guy doing chassis cetification that could I could contact? I would like to do it right because you never know when you might accidently get a horsepower upgrade and need the cetification.
I talked to Jim today and he stated that: while the rule book says they can be welded to plates on the floor/trans tunnel, he highly recommends welding them to the sub frame connectors as it adds a lot of strength to the roll bar setup. I think I will take the extra time and tie it all together. Thanks for the help Jim Kneisl
Roll bar
Posted - 04/22/2013 : 22:11:27
